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Thursday, October 7, 2010

52 Beginnings - Dana Casanave

www.52Beginnings.Com

Lately I have been reading a ton of blogs. Every once in a while you stumble across someone who is doing something different and interesting. Sometimes you find that real gem. One gem I found was In Dana Casanave. Dana’s blog is called 52 Beginnings.

Dana Casanave

Dana’s story starts out like most blogs. She is a 29 year old wife, mother of 3 young children and a personal trainer in Leesburg, Virginia. Dana was overweight and took up running to get back into shape after having children. She lost 70lbs and found a passion for running. After running several half marathons she decided to do her 26.2 when she was 26. This is an amazing story but this is where most blogs end. In Dana’s case this is where it really begins.

Running changed her life in so many positive ways and she wanted to focus her running passion as a means to do something positive for others. Dana had a burning desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

www.2540.org

She is now running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to bring awareness and raise donations for a Virgina-based charity called 25:40. As of today she has completed marathon #38 and plans to finish her last race on January 15, 2011 (which just so happens to be her 30th birthday).

25:40 is a charity dedicated to helping South African orphans. Many of these children have lost one or both parents to AIDS and sadly many are HIV+ themselves. 25:40 supports and fosters the creation of orphanages, health clinics, day care centers, schools and other entities that are critical to the care and health development of children impacted by AIDS.

She calls her journey 52 Beginnings because each race is run for a different child from the Ngqeleni District in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. There are over 1,500 children in this region orphaned or vulnerable to becoming orphans and all the funds raised goes to this group of kids.

Dana says she is “trying to raise $26,000 to support 25:40's multi-year program designed to meet the basic and most essential needs of each of these children. All the money raised goes straight to the children. While I’m beginning these marathon races 52 times, I also hope to make a new beginning for each of these children.”

Kolo is an orphan Dana is running to support

This is an amazing woman doing something great for young South African orphans. Up to this point, she has raised almost $11,000.

If you would like to follow Dana’s journey or make a donation visit her blog at 52 Beginnings. Join with her and help make a difference in the life of a child!

3 comments:

Kevin…Thanks for this post. I was fortunate enough to be in SA this past July and had an opportunity to spend a small bit of time at an orphanage/palliative care centre for children with AIDS (some info here: http://qonthemove.blogspot.com/search/label/Cape%20Town%202010). I’m all over her blog and look forward to following her on her journey and her efforts. Again…thanks.

I love helping out charities and have done so my whole life. I have volunteered in hospitals and nursing homes. I spent almost 3 years dress up like a 7ft bunny rabbit at "Give Kids the World" I baked over 160 dozen cookies for troops overseas. And I am a Rotarian. I will do what I can to help out any way I can.